BEACHCOMBER

HARBOUR SIDE JEWEL

Designed for couples or groups of guests seeking luxurious five-star accommodation in Vanuatu, Onyx Harbour Luxury Resort Residences is the perfect island retreat. 

The absolute waterfront position overlooks the azure waters of Port Vila harbour, Onyx offers an incomparable South Pacific setting with breathtaking views. The Residences feature three four- and five- bedroom luxury resort residences that share a 20-metre sparkling pool overlooking the harbour with a barbecue area, sunbathing areas, boat moorings and 27 metres of absolute water frontage. 

Residences are stocked with all the comforts of home as well as luxury extras such as deluxe bed and bath linens, Nespresso coffee machines, fully equipped superior kitchen, housekeeping, WiFi, satellite TV, secure front gate and private covered parking. Airport transfers are also included.

Let Onyx take care of you with a tailored experience package and other unique add-ons to guarantee your enjoyment and relaxation during your stay in Vanuatu. Visit www.onyxvanuatu.com for more info. 

GIVING BACK

Good360 is a matchmaker. They help repurpose brand new, surplus goods by directing them to Australians who need them most.

Good360 launched in 2015 by founder and managing director, Alison Covington (right) with donations from 3M, Linen House, Shoes of Prey and Lush going to 100 Not for Profits and schools. To date Good360 has received over $85 million of brand new goods from businesses and connected 8 million items to Australians who need them most.

Good360 currently supports over 1,207 Not for Profits and eligible schools across 24 cause areas. Their Australia-wide network of members includes NFPs such as Rural Aid, The Salvation Army, St Kilda Mums and The Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

Their product donors now include L’Oréal Australia, LEGO, BIG W, Moose Toys, Lush and many more.

“Whether it’s toys to a domestic violence shelter or notebooks for a mental health program, if Australians have the need, our business partners have the goods,” Ms Covington said.

“We believe that one person’s extra is another person’s essential. That’s why our goal is for nothing useful to lie unused.”

Good360 accepts donations of brand new goods from businesses Australia wide and services charities and schools in all states and territories.

If you are a business or corporate and want to find out more about how you can donate your brand new surplus goods call 02 8594 3600 or email contact@good360.org.au. For more information about Good360 visit www.good360.org.au

NEW POOL ROCKS

VOMO Island Fiji’s luxurious new infinity pool is now open.

The adults only ‘Rocks Pool’ is adjacent to the secluded Rocks Bar & Restaurant in a private setting on the western tip of Vomo island and forms part of a chilled-out, chic area for adult guests to relax and soak up the sun. 

The new adult-only zone is a sophisticated addition to family friendly VOMO – one of Fiji’s most popular family resorts – where couples and groups of friends can enjoy their own space and seclusion.

Decks flow from the Rocks Bar down to the new pool area surrounded with designer day beds to relax in privacy and spacious deck areas.  Gentle body-curved sunchairs sit partially submerged in the pool’s water edge for a lap of water and sun at the same time.

The natural green stone tiled pool blends perfectly into its tropical garden surroundings and is back dropped by Vomo Lailai (little Vomo island). The gentle curve of the infinity pool’s edge stunningly merges the pool with the ocean beyond, with the little island seemingly perched atop the pool’s infinity line.

Vomo claims the “The Rocks is a multi-concept space, with the famous chic Rocks Bar & Restaurant serving tropical cocktails as the sun slips below the horizon, along with complimentary canapés.  It’s also a perfect evening dining spot”.

NETWORKING ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Ocean Voyages Institute, a nonprofit organisation, announced recently that it has successfully removed more than 40 tons of fishing nets and consumer plastics from the area known as the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, or more commonly known as the Pacific Gyre.

The 25-day clean up mission took place in the Pacific, between California and Hawaii where four ocean currents converge to create a vortex that collects huge amounts of plastics. Commonly seen plastics include detergent bottles, beer and soft drink crates, bleach and cleaning bottles, plastic furniture, packaging straps, buckets, children’s toys, and myriad types of plastic floating mid-ocean. This debris field covers vast expanses of ocean.

A prime target for OV Institute’s 2019 voyage was the fishing gear called ‘ghost nets’. Often weighing tons, these massive nets of nylon or polypropylene drift for decades, amassing plastic debris, ensnaring wildlife, and even entangling ships. An estimated 600,000 tons of this abandoned gear ends up in the oceans every year. According to the United Nations, some 380,000 marine mammals are killed every year by either ingesting or being caught in it.

“Satellite technology played a key role in our recovery effort, offering an innovative solution to finding areas of dense plastic pollution,” said Mary Crowley, Founder and Executive Director of OV Institute. “The nets and other debris are signs of the proliferating plastic pollution that poses threats to marine life, coastal environments, shipping, fisheries, wildlife and our health.”

We in the south Pacific are indeed lucky that our area is cleaner but the ocean is for everyone and keeping it clean is everyone’s responsibility.